Hyundai Motor America's vice president of corporate
and product planning has confirmed executives have given the green light to a
production version of the popular Santa Cruz concept.
Speaking with Reuters, Michael J. O’Brien confirmed
the pickup will be offered in the United States but declined to say when it
will arrive. While that's slightly disappointing, the announcement is big news
for Hyundai as it will become the company's first foray into the highly
competitive truck market in the United States.
Little is known about the truck at this point but
the Santa Cruz concept was positioned as a lifestyle vehicle similar to the
Honda Ridgeline. If the production model takes the same approach, it will have
to battle the Ridgeline as well as more traditional competitors such as the
Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma, and Nissan Frontier.
Besides talking about the truck, the report says
Hyundai will introduce a redesigned version of the Santa Fe Sport next year. It
will reportedly be joined by an all-new seven-seat crossover which will replace
the Santa Fe in early 2019. Further down the road, a redesigned Tucson is
expected in 2020.
